Drives Are Smarter

The trend with drives is more intelligence, more distributing processing for real-time motion and logic control and a wider variety of product implementations. Drives continue to offer more and better networking options, safety features and analysis tools. But they are also being morphed in an array of different product designs and architectures. Drives are being built into controllers, and distributed on machines to offer powerful standalone operation. They are being integrated into and onto motors, and into unique configurations with controllers and/or motors to unique new approaches to control.

Focus on Smart Drives

“The intelligence in motion systems is becoming more focused in the drive,” says George Procter, vice president of Motion Systems for Copley Controls. “The drive does more and it has the interconnectivity built into it using network technology.”

Procter says there are a host of networking capabilities being built into the drives and all kinds of intelligent features. He says controllers are losing ground with more engineers moving to more PC-based control and eliminating motion control boards. Motors are becoming a commodity, and the drive is adding both intelligence and connectivity options. Engineers are looking for very compact designs and high density power packages.

“Distributed intelligence is all about software,” says Joe Biondo, strategic marketing manager for Bosch-Rexroth Corp. “The drives have processing power which results in more powerful software algorithms. The hardware is the platform but the software gives the drives its intelligence and the ability to react more quickly.”

Drive manufacturers are using the advanced intelligence in drives to create more potent motion control solutions, and are using processing power to place an emphasis on safety features and interactive analysis tools.

Since the drive is interfaced to both the controller and motor, it shouldn’t be surprising that the drive would be packaged with both. A clear trend with drives is manufacturers providing customers tightly integrated solutions that combine controller, drive, motor and sometimes even the actuator into unique products. The advantage of these single control packages is back to the basics. Processing power can be more effectively utilized and the higher levels of product integration save on system installation and build time.

The goal with integration of the drive is clear at all levels is clear: eliminate discrete wiring, simplify system interconnections, save space and provide more cost-effective products.

	Drive Packages Come in Many Shapes and Sizes. Drives are being integrated into the motor, on the motor, in controllers and with the controller combined in the drive package to create unique product designs.